Is Trudeau following in Harper’s carbon footsteps?

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau says that carbon pricing should be left up to each province, a similar song that’s been sung for years by the Harper government.

Trudeau says it’s no longer up to the federal government to impose any one-type of carbon pricing in an attempt to slow climate changes.

We’ve had nine years of Stephen Harper’s government where there’s been absolutely no leadership on the environmental file, and failing that kind of leadership … a number of different provinces have moved ahead,” he said in a radio interview.

He added, “It’s up to the federal government to catch up, and to co-ordinate and make sure Canada is seen as taking this seriously.”

When asked what Trudeau would do if he were Prime Minister, he said that the time has passed for a federal approach and explained, B.C. has a carbon tax, Alberta has picked up a sort of a carbon tax, Ontario’s bringing in its own plan. Quebec is part of a cap and trade with some other regions. We have 86 per cent of Canadians now living in provinces that have put a price on carbon.”

He added, “The mechanism through which we do that should be up to various provinces because they’ve already taken the lead on that, and what the federal government needs to do is co-ordinate that and oversee the implementation.”

His Liberal team said that rather than a top-down energy strategy, “it’s about the need to respect provinces.”